The Saphead - Buster Keaton

 

Eureka Entertainment release another classic silent cinema film featuring the legendary Buster Keaton.

The Saphead was made in 1920 and was Keaton's first leading role following his apprenticeship with Fatty Arbuckle.

The story revolves around Keaton as Bertie Van Alstyne, a pampered son of a Wall Street tycoon, who having never known any other way of life bar privilege he has to navigate new social situations, unknowing of the obstacles ahead of him.

While Keaton was not the creative force behind this adaptation of a stage play, nevertheless, the film is important in creating the now universally known screen persona of Keaton as the Stoneface and the stoic nature of his performance. His undaunted aspiration in a changing world who may well laugh at him, yet usually the quiet man who has the last laugh.

Keaton does not have to do much to garner laughs, and you can see in contrast the theatricality of other actors comes to the fore and has aged in nearly a hundred years of passing, whilst Keaton's calm is front and centre.

In contrast to the other major silent comedian of the time, Charlie Chaplin, there is a naturalness that remains to Keaton's work. While Chaplin specifically was playing a character in The Tramp, a parody or caricature that ultimately garnered world acclaim who was thrust into moments that became comical. Keaton on the other side of the coin was a person who made situations funny, whereas Chaplin could have you laughing before he did anything with the twirl of his cane and funny walk. 

Again while Chaplin would do small movements like a dancing potato to illicit maximum potential of laughter, Keaton would use big sets and stunts with his still centre in the middle of frame an ocean of calm as chaos surrounds him with Chaplin a feverish ball of energy in an altogether calmer milieu.

With it being his first lead role, you do see Keaton being more a ensemble member in this instance and his character's behaviour is more akin to that of say Adam Sandler or Rowan Atkinson, a person of lesser intellect but into an elitist world and whose humble mindset shocks the upper classes and puts them in there place. 

The new release from Eureka Video is a Blu-ray release for the first time features essays, a featurette on different adaptations, The Scribe (1966, Dir. John Sebert) - Keaton's last film role; a two hour audio interview between Keaton and Kevin Brownlow from 1964 as well as the collector's booklet.

The Saphead is out on August 22nd from Eureka Video.

My thanks to them for the review opportunity.